Adaptively selecting network apn for vehicle application remote computing demand

ABSTRACT

Managing vehicle application usage of computing resources is provided. A request for computing resources of a communications network is received from a vehicle application installed to a vehicle. An access point name (APN) is assigned to the vehicle application based on an application identifier corresponding to the vehicle application by accessing stored APN information including a mapping of application identifiers to corresponding APNs. The computing resources are accessed by the vehicle application connecting to the communications network using the APN.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to adaptivelyselecting network access point name (APN) for vehicle application remotecomputing demand.

BACKGROUND

An APN may refer to a gateway between a network to which a vehicle isattached and a greater network such as the public Internet. A vehiclemaking a data connection may be configured with an APN to present to acarrier. The carrier may utilize the APN identifier to connect thevehicle to network resources in accordance with the parametersassociated with the APN.

SUMMARY

In one or more illustrative examples, a system for managing vehicleapplication usage of computing resources is provided. The systemincludes one or more vehicle controllers of a vehicle programmed toreceive a request for computing resources of a communications networkfrom a vehicle application installed to the vehicle; assign an APN tothe vehicle application based on an application identifier correspondingto the vehicle application by accessing stored APN information includinga mapping of application identifiers to corresponding APNs; and accessthe computing resources by the vehicle application connecting to thecommunications network using the APN.

In one or more illustrative examples, a system for managing vehicleapplication usage of computing resources is provided. The systemincludes a management server programmed to receive updated informationwith respect to performance of computing resources of a plurality ofmulti-access edge computing devices (MECs) and/or cloud systemsaccessible to vehicle applications over a communications network;generate APN information mapping of application identifiers of thevehicle applications to corresponding APNs; and push the APN informationto vehicles to allow the vehicles to assign APNs to the vehicleapplications based on application identifiers corresponding to thevehicle applications.

In one or more illustrative examples, a method for managing vehicleapplication usage of computing resources is provided. A request forcomputing resources of a communications network is received from avehicle application installed to a vehicle. An APN is assigned to thevehicle application based on an application identifier corresponding tothe vehicle application by accessing stored APN information including amapping of application identifiers to corresponding APNs. The computingresources are accessed by the vehicle application connecting to thecommunications network using the APN.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system utilizing a management server formanaging vehicle application usage of MECs and cloud systems;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of APN information for an example set ofvehicle applications;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example process for the vehicle to receive updatedAPN information from the management server;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example process for the management serverproviding dynamic APN information to the vehicle to allow the vehicle toprovide services of the communications network to the vehicleapplications;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example process for the vehicle utilizing the APNinformation to provide services of the communications network to thevehicle applications; and

FIG. 6 illustrates an example computing device for managing vehicleapplication usage of MECs and cloud systems.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to beunderstood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examplesand other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. Thefigures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggeratedor minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. Asthose of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various featuresillustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures canbe combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures toproduce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described.The combinations of features illustrated provide representativeembodiments for typical applications. Various combinations andmodifications of the features consistent with the teachings of thisdisclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications.

MECs and traditional cloud servers may be used to assist vehicleapplications for remote computing. A vehicle may include a telematicscontrol unit (TCU) subscriber identity module (SIM) configured to use asingle network APN for vehicle applications that utilize remotecomputing assistance. The vehicle applications may have various networkdemands. For instance, some applications may require broadband access,some applications desire a low latency connection, and some applicationsmay require high computing assistance. However, a single APN to a singleMEC or cloud may be unable to meet requirements for various vehiclesapplications.

An improved MEC system may be configured to program the TCU SIM of thevehicle with multiple APNs. These APNs may direct the vehicle's networktraffic to different MECs or cloud servers based on various factors.Each MEC server or cloud may have its own abilities, such as lowlatency, high computing power, broadband, etc. Based on differentvehicle application demands and vehicle current location, the TCU mayselectively use different APNs to meet the application requirements. TheMEC server may be used for local computing with low latency, whiletraditional cloud server can be far away with non-critical latencycomputing. There can be multiple MECs and/or cloud servers withdifferent computing capabilities. Or there may be MECs with the samecapabilities to provide redundancy. Based on the vehicle location, theTCU may update to utilize the latest MECs and cloud capabilities so thatit can provide appropriate APN to the applications in real-time. Theoriginal equipment manufacturer (OEM) or other manager may also reducethe quantity of MECs instances based on requirements (e.g., duringnight) to save cost, thus the TCU may also be able to assign multipleapplications to a single APN. Further aspects of the disclosure arediscussed in detail herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 utilizing a management server116 for managing vehicle application 112 usage of MECs 110 and cloudsystems 114. Vehicles 102 of the system 100 may include TCUs 104configured to communicate with service areas 108 of the system 100. TheTCUs 104 may be configured to execute various vehicle applications 112,where the vehicle applications 112 may have varying requirements. Asshown, the system 100 includes a communications network 106 that definestwo service areas 108 (108A and 108B), where each service area 108includes a corresponding MEC 110. This is simply an example, andcommunications networks 106 having greater quantities of service areas108 and MECs 110 are contemplated. The system 100 also includes aplurality of cloud systems 114 configured to communicate with thecommunications infrastructure in the service areas 108. The managementserver 116 may configured to communicate with the cloud systems 114.

The vehicle 102 may include various types of automobile, crossoverutility vehicle (CUV), sport utility vehicle (SUV), truck, recreationalvehicle (RV), boat, plane or other mobile machine for transportingpeople or goods. In many cases, the vehicle 102 may be powered by aninternal combustion engine. As another possibility, the vehicle 102 maybe a battery electric vehicle (BEV) powered by one or more electricmotors. As a further possibility, the vehicle 102 may be a hybridelectric vehicle powered by both an internal combustion engine and oneor more electric motors, such as a series hybrid electric vehicle, aparallel hybrid electrical vehicle, or a parallel/series hybrid electricvehicle. As the type and configuration of vehicle 102 may vary, thecapabilities of the vehicle 102 may correspondingly vary. As some otherpossibilities, vehicles 102 may have different capabilities with respectto passenger capacity, towing ability and capacity, and storage volume.For title, inventory, and other purposes, vehicles 102 may be associatedwith unique identifiers, such as vehicle identification numbers (VINs).

The vehicle 102 may include a plurality of controllers configured toperform and manage various vehicle 102 functions under the power of thevehicle battery and/or drivetrain. As some non-limiting vehiclecontroller examples: a powertrain controller may be configured toprovide control of engine operating components (e.g., idle controlcomponents, fuel delivery components, emissions control components,etc.) and for monitoring status of such engine operating components(e.g., status of engine codes); a body controller may be configured tomanage various power control functions such as exterior lighting,interior lighting, keyless entry, remote start, and point of accessstatus verification (e.g., closure status of the hood, doors and/ortrunk of the vehicle 102); a radio transceiver controller may beconfigured to communicate with key fobs, mobile devices, or other localvehicle 102 devices; an autonomous controller may be configured toprovide commands to control the powertrain, steering, or other aspectsof the vehicle 102; a climate control management controller may beconfigured to provide control of heating and cooling system components(e.g., compressor clutch, blower fan, temperature sensors, etc.); aglobal navigation satellite system (GNSS) controller may be configuredto provide vehicle location information; and a human-machine interface(HMI) controller may be configured to receive user input via variousbuttons or other controls, as well as provide vehicle status informationto a driver, such as fuel level information, engine operatingtemperature information, and current location of the vehicle 102. Thevehicle 102 may also be configured to power other devices external tothe vehicle using the vehicle battery and/or drivetrain.

The vehicle bus may include various methods of communication availablebetween the vehicle controllers, as well as between the TCU 104 and thevehicle controllers. As some non-limiting examples, a vehicle bus mayinclude one or more of a vehicle controller area network (CAN), anEthernet network, and a media-oriented system transfer (MOST) network.Further aspects of the layout and number of vehicle buses are discussedin further detail below. The TCU 104 may include network hardwareconfigured to facilitate communication between the vehicle controllersand with other devices of the system 100. For example, the TCU 104 mayinclude or otherwise access a cellular modem configured to facilitatecommunication with other vehicles 102 or with infrastructure. The TCU104 may, accordingly, be configured to communicate over variousprotocols, such as with a communication network over a network protocol(such as Uu). The TCU 104 may, additionally, be configured tocommunicate over a broadcast peer-to-peer protocol (such as PC5), tofacilitate cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications withdevices such as other vehicles 102. It should be noted that theseprotocols are merely examples, and different peer-to-peer and/orcellular technologies may be used.

The communications network 106 may include one or more interconnectedcommunication networks such as the Internet, a cable televisiondistribution network, a satellite link network, a local area network,and a telephone network, as some non-limiting examples. The TCU 104 mayinclude network hardware configured to facilitate communication betweenthe vehicle 102 and other devices of the system 100. For example, theTCU 104 may include or otherwise access a cellular modem configured tofacilitate communication with the communications network 106.

The communications network 106 may include one or more service areas 108including networking and computing resources. In an example, the serviceareas 108 may include antennas configured to wirelessly communicate withthe wireless transceivers of the devices of the system 100. In anotherexample, the service areas 108 may include one or more MECs 110configured to provide computing resources to the service areas 108. Asthe MECs 110 are located at the periphery of the communications network106, the MECs 110 may be able to handle computing tasks local to thedevices in communication with the communications network 106, withoutthe transmission of data through the communications network 106.

The vehicle applications 112 may include programs to perform variousfunctions utilizing the network and/or compute services of thecommunications network 106. As some examples, the vehicle applications112 may include programs to provide directions, stream media, trackweather conditions, track fleet location, monitor health of the vehicle102, etc. As the functions of the vehicle applications 112 vary, thenetwork and computing requirements for the vehicle applications 112 mayalso vary. For instance, some vehicle applications 112 may requirebroadband access, some vehicle applications 112 desire a low latencyconnection, and some vehicle applications 112 may require high computingassistance.

The cloud systems 114 may include additional computing resources thatmay be available to the service areas 108. However, the cloud systems114 may be further in network distance from the vehicles 102 as comparedto the relative local nature of the MECs 110. In some instances thecloud systems 114 may be accessed by the vehicle applications 112 overthe public Internet. The MECs 110 may also be location-based, forexample, the MEC 110A may be assigned to a first metropolitan area,while the MEC 110B may be assigned to a second, different metropolitanarea. The cloud systems 114 may have even bigger coverage, for example,cloud systems 114A for the West coast, while cloud systems 114B for theEast coast.

The management server 116 may be a networked computing device configuredto control the configuration of the system 100. In an example, themanagement server 116 may be operated by a manufacturer of the vehicles102. In another example, the management server 116 may be operated by afleet manager of the vehicles 102.

The TCU 104 may additionally maintain APN information 118 for use inconnecting the vehicle applications 112 to the communications network106. The APN information 118 may include, for example, a mapping ofidentifiers of the vehicle applications 112 to a corresponding APN to beused to connect the vehicle application 112 to the communicationsnetwork 106. Each APN may point to a MEC 110 and/or to a cloud system114 with computing capabilities corresponding to the vehicle application112, for example, low latency, high reliability, high computing,broadband, etc.

In an example, the APN information 118 may be installed to the TCUs 104of the vehicles 102 at manufacture. In another example, the APNinformation 118 may be downloaded to the TCUs 104 of the vehicles 102from the management server 116. The APN information 118 may bemaintained to a SIM of the TCU 104 for instance.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of APN information 118 for an example setof vehicle applications 112. As shown, the APN information 118 includesapplication identifiers 202 of three applications, where each of theapplication identifiers 202 is associated with one or more APNs 204 thatthe TCU 104 may use to connect to the communications network 106 for useby the vehicle application 112. Each vehicle application 112 may embedor otherwise be associated with a corresponding unique applicationidentifier 202. When the vehicle application 112 is run, thisapplication identifier 202 may be extracted, and compared to the entriesin the APN information 118 to identify the proper APN 204 (or set ofAPNs 204) to use. For instance, the vehicle application 112 having AppIDA may utilize APN 1, the vehicle application 112 having AppID B mayutilize APN 2, and the vehicle application 112 having AppID B mayutilize APNs 1 or 3.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example process 300 for the vehicle 102 to receiveupdated APN information 118 from the management server 116. In anexample, the process 300 may be performed by one of the vehicles 102 inthe context of the system 100.

At operation 302, the vehicle 102 identifies the location of the vehicle102. In an example, the vehicle 102 may utilize GNSS functionality of acontroller of the vehicle 102 to determine the vehicle 102 location. Inanother example, the vehicle 102 may utilize its network location on thecommunications network 106 to determine the vehicle 102 location, suchas via a lookup of geolocation information to internet protocol (IP) orother network address.

At operation 304, the vehicle 102 sends a location update to themanagement server 116. In an example, the vehicle 102 sends the locationidentified at operation 302 in a message over the communications network106. The management server 116 may accordingly receive the informationindicating the location of the vehicle 102.

At operation 306, the vehicle 102 receives updated APN information 118from the management server 116. In an example, the management server 116may utilize the updated location of the vehicle 102 to provide an updateon which APNs 204 should be used for the vehicle applications 112 basedon the updated location of the vehicle 102. Further aspects of theupdated APN information 118 are discussed with respect to the process400.

At operation 308, the vehicle 102 stores the APN information 118 forlater use. In an example, the APN information 118 is stored to a storageof the TCU 104. In another example the APN information 118 is stored tothe SIM of the TCU 104 corresponding to the communications network 106.After operation 308, the process 300 ends.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example process 400 for the management server 116providing dynamic APN information 118 to the vehicle 102 to allow thevehicle 102 to provide services of the communications network 106 to thevehicle applications 112.

At operation 402, the management server 116 receives updated informationfor use in determining the mapping of APNs 204 to vehicle applications112. In an example, the updated information may include a change in thelocation of the vehicle 102, a change in the time of day, a change inthe day of the week, an update to the requirements of the vehicleapplication 112 (e.g., based on a update to the vehicle application 112or its configuration), updated information with respect to thecapabilities of the APNs 204, updated information with respect toavailable resources of the MECs 110, updated information with respect toavailable resources of the cloud systems 114, updated information withrespect to available communication resources of the communicationsnetworks 106, etc. The updated information regarding the location of thevehicles 102 may be received to the management server 116 in accordancewith the process 300. In another example, the location of the vehicles102 may be inferred by the management server 116 based on the networkaddresses of the messages being sent or received to the vehicles 102.

At operation 404, the management server 116 determines whether an updateof the APN information 118 is indicated. In an example, the managementserver 116 may be configured to update the APN 204 assignment to theapplication identifiers 202 of the vehicle applications 112 basedfactors indicated by the updated information. In another example, themanagement server 116 may additionally or alternately be configured toperiodically update the APN information 118. If the received informationindicates a change should be made, or the periodic update time has beenreached, control passes to operation 406. If not, control returns tooperation 402.

At operation 406, the management server 116 updates the APN information118. In an example, the management server 116 may update the mapping ofapplication identifiers 202 to APNs 204 to better fulfill therequirements of the vehicle applications 112. In an example, themanagement server 116 may match the requirements of the vehicleapplications 112 to the capabilities of the APNs 204 to compose the APNinformation 118.

At operation 408, the management server 116 pushes the updated APNinformation 118 to the vehicles 102. The updated APN information 118 maybe received to the vehicles 102 as discussed with respect to the process300. After operation 408, control returns to operation 402.

It should be noted that variations on the process 400 are possible. Inanother example, the vehicle 102 may perform the operations of theprocess 400 locally to determine the best APNs 204 to use, without theservices of the management server 116.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example process 500 for the vehicle 102 utilizingthe APN information 118 to provide services of the communicationsnetwork 106 to the vehicle applications 112. In an example, the process500 may be performed by one of the vehicles 102 in the context of thesystem 100.

At operation 502, the vehicle 102 receives a computing request from avehicle application 112. In an example, the computing request may be forprocessing to be performed by a MEC 110 or cloud system 114. In anotherexample, the computing request may be for network usage of thecommunications network 106, such as a download or upload. In yet anotherexample, the computing request may be the startup or activation of thevehicle application 112.

At operation 504, the vehicle 102 assigns an APN 204 to the vehicleapplication 112. In an example, as shown in FIG. 2 , the TCU 104 mayidentify the application identifier 202 of the vehicle application 112and may look up the corresponding APN 204 for the application identifier202 in the APN information 118.

At operation 506, the vehicle 102 provides the vehicle application 112with access to the computing resources via the APN 204. These resourcesmay include, for example, network communication over the communicationsnetwork 106, computing resources of the MEC 110, computing resources ofthe cloud system 114, etc. After operation 506, the process 500 ends.

It should be noted that the approach described above for one vehicleapplication 112 may be used concurrently for more than one vehicleapplication 112 having different requirements. The vehicle 102 may havemore than one vehicle application 112 running, where each vehicleapplication 112 may have different remote computing needs, e.g.,different requirements with respect to latency, computing, broadband,etc. For instance, a first vehicle application 112 may performintersection traffic dynamics and user detection/notification from theMEC 110. This first vehicle application 112 may require a low latencyconnection. A second vehicle application 112 may perform a dynamictraffic map build, or a fast route calculation and may require greatercomputing resources. A third vehicle application 112 may perform videosharing/streaming and may require a broadband connection. The vehicleapplication 112 may send the computing request to the TCU 104. The TCU104 may assign the APN 204 that meets the demands of the vehicleapplication 112 to the vehicle application 112. In some examples, theAPN information 118 may specify different APNs 204 based on currentvehicle 102 location, and the TCU 104 may select the APN 204corresponding to the current location of the vehicle 102.

The OEM, fleet manager, or other management server 116 maintainer mayrun more MEC 110 instances during peak times and fewer instances duringoff peak times to save resources. Thus, some APNs 204 may only beavailable at peak times. Thus, the APN information 118 may assigndifferent APNs 204 for a vehicle application 112 based on the timeperiod. The APN information 118 may also assign the same APN 204 tomultiple vehicle application 112. Thus, each vehicle application 112 maynot necessarily require its own APN 204. The APN information 118 mayalso include multiple APNs 204 for a single vehicle application 112 toprovide for redundancy.

The management server 116 and/or the TCUs 104 may send requests to theMECs 110 and/or the cloud systems 114 to receive updates with respect toavailability of the MECs 110 and/or the cloud systems 114. Based on thenetwork computing load, the MECs 110 and cloud systems 114 may also sendfeedback to the vehicles 102 to indicate to the vehicles 102 thereal-time available computing capabilities, for example, processing timehas increased (e.g., by 20%), computing power is degraded, broadband isdegraded (e.g., now only 30 Mbps is available), low latency is back tonormal (as 30 ms), broadband is back to normal (as 100 Mbps), etc.

The TCU 104 may receive the feedback and may also measure the latencyfrom the requests sent from the vehicle 102 to the MECs 110 and/or thecloud systems 114. Thus, TCU 104 may have the latest capability data forthe MECs 110 and/or the cloud systems 114. As a result, the TCU 104 mayassign an appropriate APN 204 to meet the vehicle application 112demands. Utilizing the adaptive network APN 204 selection, overallvehicle application 112 performance may be improved.

In some implementations, the TCU 104 may include dual SIM or more SIMSto support dual or more network operators. Thus, in such an examplethere may be more flexibility for vehicle applications 112 to usedifferent APN 204 across multiple communications networks 106.

As another possibility, the management server 116 may set a highpriority APN 204 to all vehicles 102 in a region to force all vehicleapplications 112 to use that high priority APN 204. In this case, theTCU 104 may take the high priority APN 204 and ignore the requirementsspecified by the vehicle application 112. This may be useful when themanagement server 116 has special requirements for a given timeframe,such as priority use of other resources or outages of various networkcomponents. Of course, the management server 116 may remove the highpriority APN 204 by a further update once the special requirements areno longer relevant. For instance, the management server 116 may sendupdated APN information 118 to all the vehicles 102 in the region. Orthe high priority APN 204 may be specified by the APN information 118with a time limit, for example, only during the night from 10:00 pm˜5:00am.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example computing device 600 for managing vehicleapplication 112 usage of MEC 110 and cloud systems 114. Devicesdiscussed herein, such as the vehicles 102 and the management server 116may include devices such as the computing device 600. Likewise, theoperations performed herein, such as those of the processes 300 and 400,may be implemented with such a computing device 600. The computingdevice 600 may include memory 602, processor 604, and non-volatilestorage 606. The processor 604 may include one or more devices selectedfrom high-performance computing (HPC) systems including high-performancecores, microprocessors, micro-controllers, digital signal processors,microcomputers, central processing units, field programmable gatearrays, programmable logic devices, state machines, logic circuits,analog circuits, digital circuits, or any other devices that manipulatesignals (analog or digital) based on computer-executable instructionsresiding in memory 602. The memory 602 may include a single memorydevice or a number of memory devices including, but not limited to,random access memory (RAM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, staticrandom-access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flashmemory, cache memory, or any other device capable of storinginformation. The non-volatile storage 606 may include one or morepersistent data storage devices such as a hard drive, optical drive,tape drive, non-volatile solid-state device, cloud storage or any otherdevice capable of persistently storing information.

The processor 604 may be configured to read into memory 602 and executecomputer-executable instructions residing in program instructions 608 ofthe non-volatile storage 606 and embodying algorithms and/ormethodologies of one or more embodiments. The program instructions 608may include operating systems and applications. The program instructions608 may be compiled or interpreted from computer programs created usinga variety of programming languages and/or technologies, including,without limitation, and either alone or in combination, Java, C, C++, C#, Objective C, Fortran, Pascal, Java Script, Python, and Perl.

Upon execution by the processor 604, the computer-executableinstructions of the program instructions 608 may cause the computingdevice 600 to implement one or more of the algorithms and/ormethodologies disclosed herein. The non-volatile storage 606 may alsoinclude data 610 supporting the functions, features, and processes ofthe one or more embodiments described herein.

The processes, methods, or algorithms disclosed herein can bedeliverable to/implemented by a processing device, controller, orcomputer, which can include any existing programmable electronic controlunit or dedicated electronic control unit. Similarly, the processes,methods, or algorithms can be stored as data and instructions executableby a controller or computer in many forms including, but not limited to,information permanently stored on non-writable storage media such asread-only memory (ROM) devices and information alterably stored onwriteable storage media such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes, compactdiscs (CDs), RAM devices, and other magnetic and optical media. Theprocesses, methods, or algorithms can also be implemented in a softwareexecutable object. Alternatively, the processes, methods, or algorithmscan be embodied in whole or in part using suitable hardware components,such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs),Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), state machines, controllers orother hardware components or devices, or a combination of hardware,software and firmware components.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims.The words used in the specification are words of description rather thanlimitation, and it is understood that various changes can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Aspreviously described, the features of various embodiments can becombined to form further embodiments of the invention that may not beexplicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments couldhave been described as providing advantages or being preferred overother embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one ormore desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the artrecognize that one or more features or characteristics can becompromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which dependon the specific application and implementation. These attributes caninclude, but are not limited to strength, durability, life cycle,marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight,manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, to the extent anyembodiments are described as less desirable than other embodiments orprior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics,these embodiments are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can bedesirable for particular applications.

With regard to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc.described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps ofsuch processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to acertain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with thedescribed steps performed in an order other than the order describedherein. It further should be understood that certain steps could beperformed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or thatcertain steps described herein could be omitted. In other words, thedescriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose ofillustrating certain embodiments, and should in no way be construed soas to limit the claims.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description isintended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments andapplications other than the examples provided would be apparent uponreading the above description. The scope should be determined, not withreference to the above description, but should instead be determinedwith reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated andintended that future developments will occur in the technologiesdiscussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will beincorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should beunderstood that the application is capable of modification andvariation.

All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadestreasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood bythose knowledgeable in the technologies described herein unless anexplicit indication to the contrary in made herein. In particular, useof the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc. should be readto recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recitesan explicit limitation to the contrary.

The abstract of the disclosure is provided to allow the reader toquickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It issubmitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpretor limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in theforegoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features aregrouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than allfeatures of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claimsare hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claimstanding on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather,the words used in the specification are words of description rather thanlimitation, and it is understood that various changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may becombined to form further embodiments of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for managing vehicle application usageof computing resources, comprising: one or more vehicle controllers of avehicle programmed to: receive a request for computing resources of acommunications network from a vehicle application installed to thevehicle; assign an access point name (APN) to the vehicle applicationbased on an application identifier corresponding to the vehicleapplication by accessing stored APN information including a mapping ofapplication identifiers to corresponding APNs; and access the computingresources by the vehicle application connecting to the communicationsnetwork using the APN.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the request forthe computing resources is startup or activation of the vehicleapplication.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehiclecontrollers are programmed to receive the APN information from amanagement server.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or morevehicle controllers are further programmed to: send an updated locationof the vehicle to the management server; receive updated APN informationfrom the management server, the updated APN information including anupdated mapping of the application identifiers to the correspondingAPNs; and update the stored APN information to include the updated APNinformation.
 5. The system of claim 1, where in the APN information isstored to a subscriber identity module (SIM) of the vehicle.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the APN information includes a mapping of oneof the application identifiers to a first APN for a first vehiclelocation and a second APN for a second vehicle location, and the one ormore vehicle controllers are programmed to: determine a current locationof the vehicle; assign the first APN to the vehicle applicationresponsive to the current location matching the first vehicle location;and assign the second APN to the vehicle application responsive to thecurrent location matching the second vehicle location.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the APN is configured to allow the vehicle applicationaccess to one or more predefined multi-access edge computing (MEC)devices and/or cloud systems.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the APNis configured to allow the vehicle application access to networkresources with a defined throughput and/or latency.
 9. A system formanaging vehicle application usage of computing resources, comprising: amanagement server programmed to: receive updated information withrespect to performance of computing resources of a plurality of MECsand/or cloud systems accessible to vehicle applications over acommunication network; generate APN information mapping of applicationidentifiers of the vehicle applications to corresponding APNs; and pushthe APN information to vehicles to allow the vehicles to assign APNs tothe vehicle applications based on application identifiers correspondingto the vehicle applications.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein themanagement server is further programmed to generate and push the APNinformation periodically.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein themanagement server is further programmed to generate and push the APNinformation responsive to receipt of updated information with respect tothe performance of computing resources.
 12. The system of claim 9,wherein the updated information with respect to the performance of thecomputing resources includes a change in location of the vehicles. 13.The system of claim 9, wherein the updated information with respect tothe performance of the computing resources includes a change in time ofday and/or day of week.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the updatedinformation with respect to the performance of the computing resourcesincludes an update to requirements of the vehicle applications.
 15. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the updated information with respect to theperformance of the computing resources includes a change in availableresources of the MECs, updated information with respect to availableresources of the cloud systems, and/or updated information with respectto available communication resources of the communication network.
 16. Amethod for managing vehicle application usage of computing resources,comprising: receiving a request for computing resources of acommunication network from a vehicle application installed to a vehicle;assigning an access point name (APN) to the vehicle application based onan application identifier corresponding to the vehicle application byaccessing stored APN information including a mapping of applicationidentifiers to corresponding APNs; and accessing the computing resourcesby the vehicle application connecting to the communication network usingthe APN.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: sending anupdated location of the vehicle to a management server; receivingupdated APN information from the management server, the updated APNinformation including an updated mapping of the application identifiersto the corresponding APNs; and updating the stored APN information toinclude the updated APN information.
 18. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising: receiving, by a management server, updated information withrespect to performance of computing resources of a plurality of MECsand/or cloud systems accessible to vehicle applications over thecommunication network; generating updated APN information based on theupdated information; and pushing the updated APN information to thevehicle.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising generating andpushing the updated APN information responsive to receipt of the updatedinformation with respect to the performance of computing resources. 20.The method of claim 19, wherein the updated information includes anupdated location of the vehicle.